Best Friends
by LostSparrow
Summary: A small story about Dylan and Akeelah and their unexpected and, sometimes odd, friendship.


**_Hi there :) so I was watching this move the other day, and I just wanted to write a story about Dylan and Akeelah. Hope you enjoy!_**

Dylan and Akeelah have been close ever since that fateful spelling bee. It was that event that brought them together, which they'd both be eternally grateful for.

They practically grew up together after that. There'd be nightly phone calls and weekend hangouts. They saw each other through their first relationships- which both ended quite badly. Dylan's girlfriend was a stuck up snob from his school, while Akeelah's was a rude boy from her school. Needless to say, they didn't last long. Akeelah and Dylan spent that Saturday together, watching sappy movies and eating junk food. Then they had to deal with those awkward adolescent years which were full of acne and hormones.

However, they're not those awkward adolescents anymore. Akeelah is eighteen, and Dylan is twenty. Dylan has grown out of his 'good boy' image and now is a tall, rather handsome man. Akeelah has grown too. Her hair is long, almost reaching her elbows and is smooth and straight. She's filled out her figure and has reached a height of 5'3. She doesn't wear glasses anymore, instead opts for contacts during the day. Georgia once described Dylan and Akeelah as "puberty hit them like a bus." Neither of them would ever admit that there anywhere near attractive, because they honestly don't think they are, but they're grown up to say the least.

However, today has been a really bad day for Akeelah. Her boyfriend of eight months has decided he's too good for her and publicly dumped her. She was surprised Georgia didn't go to his house and slaughter him with a shovel.

So, now, she's curled up on her bed, wearing her favorite fluffy pink pyjama pants and one of Dylan's old shirts that she had nabbed off him when they were hanging out a few weeks back. She curled up tighter and tried her best to read the book in her hands. But soon she feels that annoying lump in her throat and she can feel tears welling up in her eyes.

"Shit," she mutters to herself and reaches for the tissues beside her bed. She raises a tissue to the corner of her eye, but is distracted by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She grabs it and raises it to her ear, coughing and trying to hide that she's crying.

"Hello?" she chokes out.

"Georgia told me what happened. I'm on the way to get you." Dylan says and then hangs up without another word. Akeelah can tell that he's angry, just from the tone of his voice.

She stands up and checks her reflection in the mirror. God, she looks awful. She wipes her glasses clean of the tears and quickly dries her face. She puts her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. Dylan has seen her at her worst, so she doesn't bother to do anything else, expect change into a pair of leggings. It's a warm summer's night, so she doesn't bother with a coat. She goes outside and sits on the porch steps and waits for Dylan's car. Her mother is busy at university and her siblings are now living on their own, so the house is empty. A moment later, the car pulls up and Dylan practically jumps out of it. Akeelah goes and throws herself into his embrace, trying her best not to cry in front of him. That's only ever happened once... When Dr. Larabee died. That was a year and a half ago. He was hit by a drunk driver. Akeelah had broken down when she found out. Her father figure had died; the man who she had spent countless hours with was gone. Her only consolation was that he was with his daughter again... She knew that he was happy.

This obviously wasn't as bad of a situation, not nearly as bad, but it's still shitty and it sucks. Dylan holds her close, practically smothering her into his chest. He had gone through a major growth spurt and is now 6'1 and she's still a tiny 5'3. But his hugs are always comforting and warm to her.

"He's an asshole and karma will get him, don't worry. Hey, no crying, Keely. He's not worth it. He's really not." Dylan whispers. She nods and slowly unravels herself from his grasp. They get into the car, her favorite radio station already playing loudly. They drive in silence for a while, Akeelah's head resting on his shoulder. Eventually Dylan stops at the mall and gets his 'Akeelah survival kit' which consists of her favorite blueberry tea, a large chunk of chocolate peppermint bark, a new book from the used book store- which in this case happened to be Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin- and then some rose bath crystals. He came up with this list back when she was fifteen. She didn't have a lot of bad days, but when she did have them, he liked to help. She has one for him too. His consist of bitter coffee, caramel chocolate, a new book and hours of scrabble.

He returns to the car with his 'survival kit' and starts the car again. Akeelah reads her book while he drives. Eventually he stops at a parking lot of a business office. She closes her book and looks at him, a small smile on her face.

"Thank you. You're honestly my favorite human being on earth." She says.

He shrugs and smirks. "Hey, what are best friends for?"

They stare there for a good three hours, Akeelah's legs resting on his lap and his arms folded over them. His head is back and his eyes closed and she reads the novel out loud. This is comforting; for both of them.

Akeelah and Dylan are unexpected friends to say the least, but to each other, they're a special relationship that simply can't be broken, and certainly never replaced.


End file.
